Select Board approves transfers to cover zoning legal bills, conservation, panic-button upgrades and tax title needs

The Dighton Board of Selectmen voted to approve a series of departmental budget transfers to cover legal bills, equipment and tax-title needs.

The board approved moving $8,072 from the planning department’s professional and technical line into the zoning Board of Appeals account to encumber funds for outstanding legal invoices. The town also approved a $2,000 transfer from health insurance to the conservation account after staff calculated May expenses and determined the conservation budget would otherwise go negative; department leadership supported the transfer.

Separately, the board agreed to transfer $3,450 from health insurance to purchase upgraded panic buttons after staff said current coverage did not reach every location. The treasurer-collector requested an $8,000 transfer from health insurance to the tax-title account to raise funds for two years of unpaid taxes; the board approved encumbering those funds into the next fiscal year. Finally, the board approved a supplemental $1,500 transfer for zoning where planning had initially approved only $8,000.

Each transfer was presented by staff and approved after motions and seconding; the transcript records voice votes and the chair announcing the motions carried but does not include roll-call tallies or movers’ names for each motion. Staff described the zoning transfers as necessary to pay outstanding legal bills and said department heads had agreed to the requested adjustments.

The decisions will be reflected in the town’s accounting as encumbrances for legal or equipment expenses; no member requested further financial analysis at the meeting. The board moved on to other business after completing the transfer approvals.